Cool As Heck

My wife and I decided to take advantage of a rare pleasant July evening with a walk around our neighborhood.

It's almost exactly a 1 mile loop. As the sun slowly set, casting a warm glow onto the clouds, the neighborhood became very quiet, except for the birds (and the occasional passing car). I took out my phone and started recording with the Merlin app. Here are the five beautiful birds it identified tonight, with a little information about each one.

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) They are one of the few female North American songbirds that sing.

• Appearance: Males are a vibrant, unmistakable red with a pointed crest and a black mask. Females are warm, buffy-brown with reddish tinges on their crest, wings, and tail.
• Sound: A series of loud, clear, downward-slurring whistles, often described as cheer, cheer, cheer or birdie, birdie, birdie.
• Habitat: Common in backyards, parks, and woodland edges. They are non-migratory, so you can enjoy their color and song all year.

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) These small finches have a distinctive, bouncy flight pattern, often punctuating it with a sharp call.

• Appearance: Summer males are a striking lemon yellow with a black cap, wings, and tail. Females are a more subdued, olive-yellow.
• Sound: A bright, musical series of twitters and warbles. Their most common call, often given in flight, is a po-ta-to-chip.
• Habitat: They prefer open fields with weedy plants, floodplains, and backyard feeders, where they particularly love thistle and sunflower seeds.

Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) This is one we've never seen, but we heard it.

• Appearance: Males are a vibrant, deep blue all over. Females are a plain, warm brown, with faint streaking on the breast.
• Sound: A high-pitched, cheerful, and rapid series of paired notes, often described as what-what, where-where, see-it-see-it.
• Habitat: Look for them in brushy and weedy areas along the edges of forests, fields, and roads.

Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)

• Appearance: Males have a flaming orange breast and underside with a solid black head and back. Females are more variable, typically a yellowish-orange with brownish-black wings.
• Sound: A rich, whistling song made of a short series of paired notes.
• Habitat: They favor open woodlands, riverbanks, and parks, and are famous for the incredible hanging, sack-like nests they weave from plant fibers.

Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) These guys are loud for such a small bird.

• Appearance: A small, reddish-brown bird with a prominent white eyebrow stripe, a light-colored throat, and a long, downward-curving bill.
• Sound: A loud, rolling teakettle-teakettle-teakettle or germany-germany-germany that can be heard at any time of day, all year long.
• Habitat: These wrens are highly adaptable, found in dense shrubs, wooded areas, and suburban backyards, often exploring garages and porches.

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